Adventures in Parenting
by Winekita
Summary: A series of one-shots featuring the Seven's kids (My OCs Lacy Jackson, Mark Grace, Sammy Leo Zhang, and Tulio and Esperanza Valdez) and their parents' random adventures in raising them. Ages range from newborn to year 5-likely to skip around. Ideas and baby stories welcome :D
1. The Zhang Magic Trick

_**Hey, guys! I got hit in the face with another idea, so you know what that means! That's right! Another story!**_

_**This is potentially a series of fluffy one-shots surrounding the daily life of the Seven as they raise their kids. They'll be random in timeline, so don't expect any sense or order. Example: Mark could be speaking for the very first time in one chapter and then the next will be the Valdez twins taking their first step. I won't go past five years old for the featured kids.**_

_**The main characters in these one-shots include the Seven and their kids: Lacy Jackson (and unnamed Percabeth baby, but I shall not reveal that one until **_**Papi_ is finished), Esperanza and Tulio Valdez, Mark Grace, and Sammy Leo Zhang._**

**_I also plan to (maybe) include a certain someone else's Tratie OC baby in this later on. If they let me, that is... :3_**

**_So, without further ado..._**

**_(Disclaimer: I own the kids, but not the adults-those belong to Rick)_**

**_...I give you the first installment, featuring SAMMY LEO! The inspiration behind this story can be found at the next author's note._**

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><p><strong>The Zhang Magic Trick<strong>

***~Feat. Sammy Leo Zhang~***

"The end," Hazel finished, closing her story book. She kissed her three-year-old, Sammy Leo, on the forehead. She smiled as he yawned and snuggled into his Penguin blanket. No, not like Happy Feet penguin…it was Batman's Penguin. For some reason, Sammy Leo seemed to like that villain better than Joker, Riddler or even Batman himself. Frank and Hazel had no idea why!

Frank stood in the doorway, waiting for his wife to come out. He whispered, "Hurry up, Hazel. I'm tired."

She shot him a silent raspberry and gently stood up, careful not to disturb Sammy Leo. The little Zhang was just starting to fall asleep. He always stayed up to hear the end of Hazel's bedtime stories, and usually conked out shortly after.

When Hazel came up to Frank, they shared a kiss. "I'm gonna stay up and read a bit," she told her husband as they walked down the hall. Frank nodded and headed into their bedroom, which was in between the living room and Sammy Leo's room. Hazel sat down on the love seat, picked up her book and began reading.

About thirty minutes later, she heard a noise. At first Hazel thought it was Frank shuffling around in the bedroom, but when said son of Mars came into the living room rubbing his eyes, she had to figure it wasn't him. Frank was already in his pj's (one of the Rome t-shirts he had gotten during the quest and some Simba pj bottoms) and his hair was scruffy, like he had been tossing and turning.

"What's that noise?" he slurred. "I was just about to fall asleep."

They both immediately assessed that the noise was coming from Sammy Leo's room. They rushed in to find their son sitting upright in the bed, hugging his knees and sobbing.

Frank and Hazel both immediately rushed to sit on either side of their son.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Hazel asked softly, hugging Sammy Leo.

Said toddler shook his head, making his little afro bounce wildly. He kept sobbing into his mommy's chest as Frank stroked his back.

"I-I…" he stuttered. "I…ate…"

"What'd you eat?" Frank asked. "Did the snack Mommy gave you before bedtime make your tummy feel bad?"

Hazel glared at him. He shrugged like nothing was wrong.

Sammy Leo looked at his mother with huge eyes. "I ate a penny!" he cried. "And now I'm gonna die!"

He collapsed into Hazel's chest once more, sobbing hysterically. Frank and Hazel sighed in relief. Hazel saw that Frank was holding in his laughter.

"Shh," she comforted. "It's okay, baby. Um…swallowing _one_ penny isn't gonna—"

"I'M GONNA DIE, MOMMY!" he screamed. "I ate a penny I found on the table, so I'm dying! I don't wanna die, Mommy!"

Hazel sighed. Clearly, her son was being over-dramatic, but it was still pretty funny. She would have a good laugh about this later, and Percy would never let the legacy hear the end of it when he grew up.

She tried desperately to calm him down, telling him that swallowing a penny wasn't the end of the world, but the Roman legacy would have none of it.

Behind Sammy Leo, Frank silently pulled something out of his pocket. He looked at her, held up a penny, and whispered, "You're not the only parent that can do 'magic'."

He gently turned the frantic Sammy Leo around and said, "I know what'll cheer you up. Watch this!"

Frank, with the penny enclosed within his huge fist, reached behind Sammy Leo's ear and pretended to pull said penny out of it. He showed his son the penny.

Sammy Leo gasped in excitement. Hazel sighed in relief. _Good…At least now he thinks he won't die—_

Just then, Sammy Leo grabbed the penny from Frank's hand and promptly swallowed it. He clapped and squealed, "Do it again, Daddy!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: True story. Here's the excerpt I found that inspired it:**_

_**Penny Trick**_  
><em> After tucking their three-year-old child Sammy in for bed one night, his parents heard sobbing coming from his room. <em>

_ Rushing back in, they found him crying hysterically. He managed to tell them that he had swallowed a penny and he was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking was helping. _

_ His father, in an attempt to calm him down, palmed a penny from his pocket and pretended to pull it from Sammy's ear. Sammy was delighted. _

_ In a flash, he snatched it from his father's hand, swallowed, and then cheerfully demanded, "Do it again, Dad!" _

**_I laughed so hard when I saw this. I don't know who you are, internet person, but that made my day! And that is why I made this series a thing! There will be plenty more short adventures to come, and if you have an inspiring and funny baby story and want to feature the Seven's kids in it, let me know via PM and I'll credit you! :D_**


	2. Bad Horsey

_**Disclaimer: I own the kids, not the adults.**_

_**I actually lay claim to this story, too, since...I actually experienced something like this! :P I changed the scene a little from what happened to me, but the story still ends the same.**_

_**I figured the best people to experience this was the Jackson family, since one of them is the step-brother to horses.**_

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><p><strong>Bad Horsey<strong>

***~Feat. Lacy Jackson~***

Annabeth watched from the fence as Percy led Lacy into the stables. They weren't at the Camp Half-Blood stables. They were at some random stables near a racetrack. The track was having a special kid's day and had some Shetland Ponies out for the kids to ride.

Percy was ecstatic, wanting their five-year-old Lacy to come ride one. Annabeth was content to stay on the sidelines with their two-year-old. **_(A/N: Will not reveal. Must. Resist.)_**

Almost all of the ponies had been claimed and were being ridden now by various children. One, however, was still up for grabs. Percy, being impatient and not wanting his daughter to wait for a ride, immediately led her up to the pony.

This guy was old. He was brown and white, with grey around his nose. His yellowing mane fell into his eyes, which had a tinge of bitterness in them. The tag on his door told the demigod his name was _Booger_. Percy snorted and asked the old pony, "I really don't wanna call you Booger. Got any other name you'd prefer?"

The pony stayed silent.

"I'm a son of Poseidon," he whispered to the pony. "You can talk to me."

Yet again, the pony stayed silent. He turned his head to the side like he could care less.

"Fine then," Percy scowled. "Be that way…_Booger_."

He led the pony outside to the riding area with Lacy on top. Lacy was excited. She'd never ridden an Earth-bound pony before, much less one just her size, so she bounced happily on Booger's back.

Booger snorted in annoyance, but didn't express any feelings in words Percy could understand. Percy almost thought he'd lost his ability to talk to horses, but then heard the other ponies in the area conversing and joking around.

_I guess Booger's not a talker,_ Percy thought. _Whatever. I guess that's better than Arion's dirty mouth._

Percy led Booger around the pen. The other ponies were in a line ahead of them. Some of them were already leaving. Scratch that. _All_ of the ponies were leaving. Pretty soon it was just Booger, Percy and Lacy left in the pen. The farmer that owned the ponies called for them to come in, as it was time to feed the ponies.

The second 'feed' was mentioned, Booger suddenly perked up. He nickered something Percy didn't catch and suddenly took off for the other end of the pen.

To clarify, this pen was made of wooden fencing. The 'gate' consisted of three long, horizontal, removable pieces of wood. The farmer had removed wood pieces one and two on the bottom, but had left the top one there, since the ponies could fit underneath easily.

That is, if they didn't have a rider on them.

Booger seemed to have forgotten he had a five-year-old girl on his back as he raced towards the farmer.

He dove under the wood piece, easily clearing the height restriction. Lacy, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The wood hit her square on the chin and she flew backwards off of Booger. The farmer grabbed and tugged at Booger's flying halter rope and 'whoa'ed him.

Percy raced over and helped Lacy up. He hoped there hadn't been any permanent damage. Okay, he secretly hoped that knock on the chin had made a few baby teeth fall out. That would've been cool.

Lacy stood up and brushed off the dirt from her no-longer-yellow dress. She looked pretty peeved at being thrown off a horse. Percy could relate. Any relative of Poseidon would feel annoyed at being thrown. It was basically an insult.

Annabeth came running forward, their second born in her arms. "Is Lacy alright? Is she hurt?"

Percy gave her a thumbs-up. "Lacy's fine."

The farmer came towards them when Percy had led Lacy out of the pen. He was still holding Booger, who looked annoyed at not being able to get fed right away.

"I'm so sorry, sir," the farmer apologized. "Booger ain't usually like that. He's usually well-behaved when it comes to kiddy-rides. Don't know what got into him."

"It's fine," Percy said. "He might just be having a bad day. We've all had them." He stroked Booger's mane. Booger didn't react any different than before. Percy turned to Lacy.

"Can you forgive Booger, Lacy?" he asked.

Lacy casually strolled up to Booger, looked him square in the eye and did something Percy never expected.

You know that place in between a horse's eyes? Right where a star or stripe is under the forehead, at the top of the nose?

Lacy punched Booger there.

Booger's eyes widened and he fell to his knees, snorting, _"OUCH!"_

Lacy flipped her hair haughtily and walked away to join Annabeth and her brother. "Bad Horsey!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: For future reference, I actually had a 27-year-old Shetland Pony named Booger when I was little. And he was a very mean little beast to kids, including me. One day when we were in our riding pen (built the same as above) he did exactly what the story Booger did...with ME riding him. In response, I stood up and punched him in that spot. Very hard. He wasn't mean to me ever again. :)**_

_**Regardless, Shetland Ponies are actually sweet ponies. They just get really cranky when they get near their thirties. Ha ha.**_


	3. Cake Mistake

_**Disclaimer: I own the kids, not the adults.  
><strong>_

_**Claim for the story and the featured kid is in the next author's note :)**_

_**Please note, to understand the setting of this story, please read my story **_**Papi _up to _Chapter 17: Don't Drink the Wine_._**

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><p><strong>Cake Mistake<strong>

***~Feat. Makwell Armenta Stoll~***

Leo watched as the young children played tag at the edge of the 'Welcome Back' party Camp was throwing for him. He smiled as his twins ran up and played like they had known the other kids for years. Leo was proud of Tulio and Esperanza. Gods knew there weren't any kids their age to play with around their place in Houston, so this was an achievement!

"Leo!"

The son of Hephaestus turned to see Piper—already drunk—staggering up to him with two cups in her hand. Leo sighed and rolled his eyes.

"The dignified Beauty Queen," he told her. "And she's drunk off her butt!"

Piper ignored his statement and glanced into his water-filled cup. She grimaced. "What're you doing with water?" she slurred, clearly offended. "You should be over there with the rest of us, drinking and having fun!"

Leo glanced at the kids, who were playing tag right now. "Well, someone's gotta watch the kids—"

She slapped the cup out of his hands and thrust one of her wine-filled cups toward him.

"C'mon," she yelled in his ear. "I know you're a single dad, but you're being a freakin' wet blanket! Live a little! The kids'll be fine!"

"Well…"

"Where's the fun-loving Leo Valdez I was friends with!? Where's the guy that threw caution to the wind? The guy that made jokes, even when the situation—" She burped, and Leo could've sword a bubble came out. "—didn't call for it," Piper finished.

Leo glanced one more time at the kids. They _did_ seem fine. It wasn't like they could go anywhere…the Hecate Cabin's party-area restriction for them.

So, as Leo finally joined the adults and began his six-hour drinking binge, no one thought to watch the kids.

Particularly one legacy of Hermes and Demeter.

Makwell Armenta Stoll—known as Arey. _**(A/N: Pronounced are-ee)**_

This little guy was a little bit younger than Lacy. Funny story; when Percy and Annabeth had announced their pregnancy three years ago, Travis and Katie—recently and _finally_ married—got busy and dropped their baby bomb four months later. Connor joked that Travis didn't want to be one-upped by Percy, which had probably been true at first. Still, he was a cutie.

Arey had light brown hair, with his mother's leaf green eyes. The freckles that were speckled across his face were just adorable. The unsettling thing about him, however, was his Hermes grin—something that rather resembled Leo's imp grin. He had a crooked thief's smile, and many adults figured the little guy would be more like his father and uncle than anything.

The little Stoll meandered away from his new friends, the Valdez twins, and started looking around. Not for trouble, mind you; he was still a little young to figure out how to get himself into trouble _on purpose_.

He was mostly looking for food. The little Stoll had the appetite of his grandfather—the appetite of a god. And he was _hungry_!

Arey toddled over to one of the tables with the food. There was a three story chocolate cake in the middle, one so big he could see at his level. _That_ was his target.

He looked up at the table that was twice as tall as he was. Arey narrowed his eyes, trying to think in his baby mind how to get the cake. It was taunting him.

He kicked a rock. Well, he _meant_ to kick a rock, but missed and fell forward. He grabbed the tablecloth that draped over the side. He fell anyway.

Arey spit out a bit of dirt and glared up at the table. His expression changed to pure curiosity when he realized the tablecloth had moved the cake a bit when it was pulled.

He pulled on the cloth again.

* * *

><p>At that exact moment, Arey's father, Travis Stoll, had been reaching to slice the cake. The cake suddenly slid backwards. In his buzzed mind, Travis couldn't figure out that the cake had been moving because of the tablecloth being pulled.<p>

He yelped in surprise. "Holy Hermes!"

His brother Connor staggered over, followed closely by Katie.

Travis went to grab for the cake again, but it moved once more!

Connor gasped, also not getting the tablecloth concept. "Dude!"

"Dad has control over cake!" Travis yelled. "I have cake powers!"

He reached for the cake and it moved again, edging closer to the end of the table—which none of the adults noticed.

Katie, still more sober than her husband, slapped him upside the head. "Dummy! Hermes isn't the god of moving cake!"

"How do you know?" Travis challenged. "He's _my_ dad!"

Katie rolled her eyes. "If anything, it would be my mother's power! Cake has flour in it!"

Connor went for the cake this time. The cake responded by escaping off the table, followed by the rest of the table's food and finally the tablecloth. A couple **_SPLATS_ **resounded from the other side. All three adults leaned over the table to see where the buffet went.

Arey was sitting on the ground, absolutely _covered_ in chocolate cake. The ground itself was littered with the remaining cake, cupcakes, donuts and a now-empty punch bowl. The little Stoll was stuffing his face with handfuls of cake, his little cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, completely submerged in ecstasy.

Katie sobered up enough to realize what just happened. "Arey!" she yelled. "What do you have to say for yourself!?"

He looked up at his parents and Uncle Connor. He grinned, revealing cake-covered baby teeth.

"Yummy!"

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><p><em><strong>AN: This one was inspired by Jypsi's comment. Sorry, it wasn't exactly your story, but that was the inspiration behind this one and since I borrowed a few elements, I am giving you credit. :)**_

_**Also getting credit is ThePercyJacksonOracle, for providing their OC Arey Stoll! I hope I got his personality alright, and he will still appear in the next individual Valdez family story as promised.**_


	4. You've Got Quite a Long Name, Sir!

**_Ah, it is so funny how a story just hits you in the face and makes you wanna write it! Props for this story are at the bottom :D_**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Jason or Piper. Mark is mine though!**_

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><p><strong>You've Got Quite a Long Name, Sir!<strong>

***~Feat. Mark 'Sora' Grace~***

"You wanna walk or ride?" Jason asked his four-year-old son, Mark.

Mark started walking into Wal-Mart, not even paying attention to his Dad. He was busy flipping through a little picture book with a few Roman legends in it. Jason shrugged and followed Mark into Wal-Mart with the cart.

Piper had sent the boys out on a grocery-shopping trip. She was currently at Camp Half-Blood solving some Cabin Ten counselor issues. Jason didn't know how it got so serious that Piper—who hadn't even been a camper for years now—had to be called specifically to come calm the entire cabin down. All he knew was that he couldn't really help her and that they needed milk, so Piper told him to take Mark and go shopping.

Jason walked slowly, making sure Mark could keep up as they made their way to the Dairy section. Mark was still intensely staring at his picture book. Jason watched as his little face scrunched up in concentration, his blue eyes crossing as his dyslexia prevented him from completely understanding whatever words were under the pictures.

Jason stopped the cart and walked over to the milk section. He opened the door to the freezer and stuck his head in. _Which type of milk, again? Skim? Ew._

A couple minutes later, the son of Jupiter came up with a half-gallon of almond milk for Piper and a full gallon of 2% for him and Mark.

_Next on the list_, he thought, moving away from the Dairy aisle. He stared intensely at the list in his hand. _Eggs._

So, Jason went through Wal-Mart, picking items off the list one-by-one and throwing them into the cart. Of course, as he did this, he had forgotten one very important item back in the Dairy section.

Mark!

* * *

><p>Poor Mark looked up from his picture book. Where was his daddy? He glanced around, trying to locate the big man with blond hair pushing a cart.<p>

"Daddy?" he called. He spun in a circle. "Daddy!?"

The adults in the area ignored him as he paced the aisle. Mark was beginning to panic. He couldn't find his daddy, and his mommy was at camp! What's a poor legacy to do!?

He ran out of the aisle as fast as his short little legs could carry him.

"Daddy!" His cries echoed down the main aisle. "Daddy!"

A lady dressed in blue came out from around the corner. She gazed at the legacy with worried eyes. She bent down and held Mark by the shoulders firmly. "Hey there little guy," she cooed. "What's wrong?"

Mark sniffled, clutching his little picture book to his chest. "I…I can't find..." he sniffled again. "I can't find…my daddy!"

He started crying. Tears poured down his cheeks at light speed. The lady smiled sadly and held out her hand.

"Why don't you come with me," she offered. "And we'll call your daddy over the intercom?"

Mark stared at her. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he realized.

She smiled sweetly. "My name is Danielle," she told him. "I work here. When a kid loses their parents in the store, it's policy that we take them to the front desk and call their parents over the speakers. The parents will then know where to find you!"

Mark pondered this. It didn't seem like a bad idea. He had no other way to get to his daddy otherwise, so this seemed the best option.

"'Kay," he said.

Danielle took Mark's hand and led him to the front of the store. "What's your dad's name?"

"Jason."

"Okay. Jason what?"

"Huh?"

"What's your last name?"

"Grace."

Danielle smiled. "Alright." She walked past the service desk and let him sit next to her. "What's your full name, big guy? We gotta let Jason know you're up here."

* * *

><p>Jason finally noticed something was wrong when he was picking some apple juice off the shelf. He turned toward Mark and asked, "Mark, which apple juice do you like, again? Tree Top or—"<p>

But Mark wasn't behind him. Jason turned in a circle.

"Styx," he swore. "Mark! Mark, where are you!?"

Oh, Piper was going to _kill_ him!

He abandoned the cart and ran down the aisles, frantically scanning for his little four-year-old.

Jason hoped against all hope that there wasn't a monster nearby. Gods knew that sometimes the monsters thought they could take the son of Jupiter on their own, even though he was a lot older and a lot stronger than their usual meal. If they sniffed out Mark, a legacy of Jupiter…Jason would lose his mind thinking what might happen when Piper found out!

"Mark Grace!" he shouted. "Mark, come out right now!"

The Wal-Mart intercom buzzed overhead.

_"BZZT—Attention shoppers. Would father Jason Grace please come up to the service center? There is a Mark Super Laser Sora Spongebob Hercules Grace here for pick-up. I repeat: Jason Grace, please come to the service desk to pick up your son, Mark Super Laser Sora Spongebob Hercules Grace. Thank you."_

Jason blinked. _What_ was the name of his son, now? He ran full speed—almost actually flying—up to the service desk.

"Hi, I'm Jason Grace?" he told the desk lady, whose name tag read Danielle. "You said my son was here?"

She nodded and smiled. "He's right here."

Mark was sitting behind her in a chair, kicking his feet back and forth in the air. A little yellow balloon was tied around his wrist. He looked up at Jason with big blue eyes.

"Daddy!" he yelled. Mark immediately jumped off the chair and waddled over to hug Jason. Jason smiled and hugged his son back.

"Don't you ever run off like that again, Mark," he scolded lightly. "You had me worried sick."

"You left me, Daddy," Mark scolded back, pouting.

"Fine, I'm sorry…"

Jason rose up and shook Danielle's hand. "Thank you for finding my son. What was that name you said over the intercom?"

Danielle giggled. "Mark Super Laser Sora Spongebob Hercules Grace? He said that was his full name and wanted me to say it over the speakers. He wouldn't let me say anything else!"

Mark just stood there, looking smug.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you to Awesome as Annabeth for providing the story inspiration this time! I read that comment and I just HAD to write that story out! I lengthened Mark's name, too, because he knows everyone calls him Sora and wanted to include it in his full name.**_


	5. And Now It's Stuck in Your Head!

_**You guys are gonna hate me. This is a really short one, but totally worth a post. I drew a pic a while back with Tulio and Espie playing in the mud and Tulio was building a humongous mud person. And then...this happened.**_

_**xD I hate myself for getting this song in my head, but I don't care!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the song (well, maybe the lyric change, but not the actual song).**_

_**I own Tulio and Esperanza.**_

_***sniff***_

_**But not Leo...**_

_**:(**_

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><p><strong>And Now It's Stuck in Your Head!<strong>

***~Feat. Esperanza Valdez~***

_(set a few weeks before the events in _Papi_)_

Two-year-old Esperanza Valdez stood on her bed to look out the window. She could see how brown it was right now, and she was excited!

It had rained extremely hard in Houston that morning, so there was a healthy coating of mud on the ground. The mostly dead grass was now a deep dark brown color, and the mud looked deep enough to splash in. It wouldn't harden anytime soon either; the sun was still covered by dense clouds.

It was perfect outside!

Just perfect enough to splash around, hit Tui with a mudball, and make mud pies!

Espie dashed downstairs and saw Tulio dozing on the couch with TF1 (in ball form). Their _Papi_ wasn't around anywhere, which meant he was in the forge, and possibly wouldn't be coming around to check on them for a while. Espie knew their _Papi_ could get wrapped up in his work, so they could easily escape and play outside if they were careful.

Espie giggled and shook her brother's legs. Tulio groaned and just about threw TF at her.

"Go 'way," he growled without opening his eyes. "Nap."

"Play outside," she tried. "Muddy! Wanna play, Tui!"

Tulio turned his back on her. "No call me Tui," he mumbled. "Sleepy..."

Espie pondered for a second on how to get Tulio to come outside with her. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

She hummed a few lines from her favorite song in the **_Frozen_** movie. She figured she could get a few of those to work in her favor.

Espie poked Tulio again until he paid attention, then began her little song to convince him. How she had come up with this so quickly, or suddenly knew how to make sentences that were above her two-year-old level, no one would ever know…

_"Tulio~!_

_Do you wanna build a mudman?_

_It rained really hard today!_

Papi_ is working in the forge,_

_Let's get out the door,_

_We don't have time to delay!_

_We could go out and make mud pies,_

_Or just splash around,_

_We totally won't get caught~!_

_Do you wanna build a mudman?_

_It's so much better than a snowman—!"_

"I don't think so, Espie," came a gruff voice. Espie whirled around.

There was her father, Leo Valdez, crossing his arms, wearing a smug smile on his face. He cocked an eyebrow. "Good thing you're a loud singer, huh Sweetie?"

Espie shuffled her feet and looked down, highly embarrassed. "You hear?"

"I came in around 'we totally won't get caught'," he said.

Espie pouted and crossed her arms. Her plan had been fool-proof. She wouldn't have gotten caught if Tulio hadn't been a lazy baby and came with her in the first place! She cursed her _Papi_ for thwarting her plan before she could even execute it…

Leo chuckled and bent down to Espie's level. He twirled her curls with a greasy finger and smiled at his daughter. In a completely out-of-tune warble that clearly wasn't even close to the great voice Espie would one day have, he sang,

"_You got caught~!"_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Have fun getting that song out of your head! xD The rest of the song wouldn't have fit here-especially the mood of the last verse, so I didn't include it or change the lyrics.**_

_**Yes, Espie can sing! She's a beautiful singer, just like her mommy. Tulio, unfortunately, got his dad's awful singing voice, so don't be expecting any duets! :P**_

_**Song used (in case someone couldn't figure it out): **_**Do you Wanna Build a Snowman?**_** from the movie **_**Frozen**_**.**_


	6. The Road to El Daycare

**_So I had a little fun with this one. Don't tell me I missed something from the movie. I know the movie by heart and don't wish for this to be gigantic and over-the-top. Plus, they're four-year-olds. There's not much they can do, city-of-gold-wise. :P_**

**_PS: Tulio's name was actually inspired by the movie :D It's one of my favorite non-Disney movies of all time._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine. The Road to El Dorado is not mine, either._**

* * *

><p><strong>The Road to El Daycare<strong>

***~Feat. Tulio Valdez~***

Tulio Valdez looked around. There were a lot of kids here. Like, _a lot_ a lot. He felt crowded and shrank towards his twin sister.

Of course, Espie immediately squealed and went over to make friends with the other 4-year-olds.

Tulio shivered, looking up at his _Papi_ with wide eyes.

Leo smiled down at him. He lowered himself down onto his knees, holding Tulio's shoulders with his big hands. "You'll do fine, _mijo_. You can get through daycare, can't you?"

Tulio shook his head furiously. "Lotta people," he said nervously, his voice small and weak.

Leo took a stray little curl and twirled it in his nimble fingers. "Yeah, I know. But _Papi_ has to visit Gandad's forge for something and Mommy is volunteering at the hospital today. You and Espie will be staying here at the New Athens Daycare today."

"No wanna," Tulio whined.

Leo ruffled his hair. "You gotta. It's only for today, okay? Tomorrow you'll get to be in the shop again. Promise." He checked his watch. "Now, _Papi_ has to go. Why don't you go play with that little boy over there? He looks a little lonely."

Tulio looked over his shoulder. A little blonde boy with big green eyes was sitting on the steps to the daycare, hugging his little horse toy. He had a big puffy red shirt, probably a hand-me-down.

Before Tulio could say anything, Leo was already walking away. Tulio cried and started toddling towards him, but Leo turned his head and growled, "Tulio!"

The little Valdez sniffled and deflated. He walked back towards the daycare, feeling a tantrum coming on. He wanted to go hide in a corner and start melting stuff.

Then he noticed the same blonde boy from before. He sighed and decided to at least join the pity party on the steps.

He sat next to the boy, who shrank away a little. Tulio scooted a little closer and held out his hand, just like he saw his _Papi_ do when he met people.

"I Tulio," he said.

The boy eyed Tulio's hand warily. He shifted the horse plush and shook Tulio's hand. In an equally small voice, he whimpered, "Miguel."

Tulio pointed at the horse. "Who that?"

Miguel seemed to brighten. "Altivo."

Tulio smiled.

Miguel smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Must escape," Tulio growled.<p>

"Yes," Miguel agreed. "On three?"

"Yes! One…"

"Four…"

"Two…"

"Eleventeen…"

They paused, each counting on their fingers before nodding to each other.

"THREE!" they screamed together, bursting out of the toy chest, causing a bunch of toys to tumble out.

"Miguel! Tulio!" The daycare boss yelled at them, her face red. "I told you not to do that! Looks like you two need a time-out in the 'bad boy room'!

* * *

><p>"Altivo drowning!" Miguel screamed. His horse toy had been accidentally thrown into the pool.<p>

Tulio grabbed one of the floatable mats. He threw it into the water and scrambled on.

Miguel followed. "Must rescue! Onward!"

He bounced, causing the boat to tip over. The boys ended up under the floatable mat, and somehow so did Altivo.

* * *

><p>"No like this," Tulio grumbled. "Lotta green stuff."<p>

Miguel, his chin high, led the way through the 'huge forest' (the bushes surrounding the daycare building). "Follow trail," he said as he marched, grasping Altivo tightly.

"What trail?" Tulio asked, grasping his own new toy, Quilliam—a broken red armadillo plush whose back had been ripped open to make it look like a hedgehog. He'd found it soon after they had rescued Altivo and swam to shore.

Miguel stopped and puffed out his chest. "Trail we baze!" he said. He marched forward again, intending to pompously burst through the bushes.

He just ended up slamming into the side of the building.

He rubbed his nose and changed direction. "_That_ trail we baze!"

* * *

><p>"Who that?" Tulio asked during lunchtime, pointing to a little girl with straight black hair and caramel-colored skin talking to his sister. She had a long pink and white dress on, with a blue-green bracelet on her wrist.<p>

Miguel grimaced. "She Chel."

Chel looked over in the boys' direction. She smiled sweetly and waved.

Miguel and Tulio exchanged a glance with each other. They each stuck their tongues out and shivered.

"GIRLS! YUCK!"

* * *

><p>Tulio and Miguel crouched near each other, trying to formulate a plan. The two big boys across the court were still holding the ball, waiting for their opposing team to get a move on.<p>

"We no have ball," Tulio protested.

"We have Altivo," Miguel pointed out. "And Quilliam!"

Tulio looked at the toys. "What good they do?"

Miguel grinned.

Two minutes later, as they were playing toddler basketball, the bigger boys started playing keep-away instead. Tulio and Miguel protested and wailed to play fair, but the bullies wouldn't have it.

So, Miguel put his plan into action.

"Now!"

He threw Altivo at one boy as Tulio threw Quilliam at the other. The ball fell from the first boy's hands as Altivo hit his face. Miguel grabbed it and ran over to the mini basketball net, throwing it in.

Miguel did a victory dance, promptly falling on his face.

Tulio helped him up and noticed the small cut bleeding just above Miguel's left eyebrow. He touched it.

Miguel winced. "Owie!" he cried.

The two bigger boys fled the scene, even though they hadn't done anything to him.

* * *

><p>Miguel and Tulio screamed. A huge shadow followed them up the stairs.<p>

"ESCAPE!" Miguel shouted, pushing aside the other kids.

Tulio didn't say anything as they hopped over various toys and marbles. Miguel inadvertently pushed aside Chel, who was going to bonk her head on one of the chairs.

Tulio caught her just in time and their eyes met briefly. Tulio grimaced and looked away. He would have to wash his hands later to make sure he didn't catch the cooties sickness.

Chel smiled sweetly. "Thankies, Tui!"

Tulio scrunched his face up and stuck his tongue out. "No call me Tui!"

"Meow?"

Tulio turned and saw the cat that had been following them—a spotted tabby kitten named Jaguar. He screamed and darted after Miguel, who was still trying to escape.

* * *

><p>"Aw, look who made a friend!"<p>

Tulio ran up and hugged Leo warmly. He pointed towards Miguel. "That Miguel! Miguel my friend, _Papi_!"

Leo smiled. "Then I guess we'll have to arrange a play-date, huh?"

Tulio bounced up and down. "Come again tomorrow?"

Leo blinked. "You don't want to play in the forge tomorrow?"

His son shook his head, his curls flying around wildly. "No! Wanna play with Miguel tomorrow!"

The son of Hephaestus grinned. "Alright then, my little Spaniard. Let's go home."

Tulio pointed to an alleyway nearby. "Follow that trail!"

He toddled off quickly.

Leo rolled his eyes and, still smiling, picked Espie up and followed his unusually-adventurous son home.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Obvious inspiration is obvious. :3**_

_**No, there's no Tulio/Chel love here. They're four. Absolutely no romance here or in the future.**_

_**And for future reference, since they are four, this story can be in either of the **_**Papi_ universes. :D I smart!_**


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